Chapter 62 The sixth quarter is bold and fierce

When Yingdu was in a panic, Qu Yuan had already arrived at the camp of the new army in Anlu. Anlu Camp is the new army training camp that Qu Yuan has painstakingly managed for many years.Since King Wei of Chu appointed Qu Yuan to secretly plan the second reform, Qu Yuan regarded training the new army as the most important thing.Since the Warring States Period, all half-reforms have failed in the hands of fiefdom private soldiers controlled by the old nobles.Wu Qi's failure in the state of Chu is even more thought-provoking: even a commander with a heavy army in his hand can't guard against the old noble's private armed soldiers, which shows the great harm of private armed forces!The establishment of private soldiers in feudal lands is precisely the foundation of Chu's army. It is the tradition of Chu's army formation, and it is the most difficult to change.In order to make the reform and the reform forces invincible, we must train a new army that is truly loyal to the reform!Qu Yuan spent a lot of thought on this. He not only asked King Wei of Chu to allow the new army to recruit the children of Li farmers as knights, but also made an exception and banned the hereditary titles of generals in the new army.Because of this, the descendants of the aristocratic families in the Chu state were unwilling to join the new army, and almost all the poor and strong men rushed to join the new army.Qu Yuan wanted exactly this effect.

Qu Yuan's management of this new army was quite ingenious: he used Qu Gai, a famous veteran of Chu State, as the general of the army. He was the commander-in-chief of Wu Qi's subordinates back then. He had experienced many battles, had a strong character, and was an out-and-out anti-Qin general. Whenever he talked about Qin's bullying of Chu, he burst into tears.Qu Yuan handed over all the battle training to Qu Gai. He only had one thing in the army: he often went to the tent to chat with the soldiers about the reform, the benefits it could bring to the poor peasants, and the How can a large army support the reform.Qu Yuan was a great poet, and he even composed a Chu song to be sung in the army:

Over time, the officers and men of the new army were full of ardent expectations for the reform, and full of hatred for Qin, which "made it impossible for Chu to reform".When Qu Yuan was demoted by King Huai of Chu for the first time, all the officers and men of the new army shouted angrily, "Give me back Sima!"Although Qu Yuan was extremely distressed, he still persuaded the soldiers of the three armies.He believes that he will definitely have another chance.The coalition army was defeated, and he took back the military power, but what he saw was the flickering of the King of Chu, and what he heard was the curse of hatred from the old people, so he had a strong premonition: he may be deposed again at any time, or even Like Wu Qi, he would be killed by the mutiny of the old clan. After thinking over and over again, Qu Yuan secretly gritted his teeth and made a decision: he must let this new army develop its might in his hands, and push Chu to the road of reform!

When the king of Chu regarded Zhang Yi as the enemy of Qin, Qu Yuan was very excited for a while, thinking that the time for reform had come—if you want revenge and strengthen the country, you must reform. This is almost an emerging iron rule in the Warring States Period.But all of a sudden, the King of Chu let Zhang Yi go, Zhaoju and Zheng Xiu secretly became active again, and Zhang Yi actually performed it again in Yingdu, stirring up troubles in Chu State again! Suddenly, Qu Yuan woke up: this is his last chance, as to whether he can get his wish, it depends on God's will.He saw that Zhang Yi was the root cause of the turmoil in the Chu state and a key figure in the Qin and Chu waves. If Zhang Yi was killed, he would be able to force the Chu state to embark on the road of reform to save the country under the strong pressure of the Qin state.Originally, Qu Yuan was going to join forces with Su Qin and Chunshenjun to do this big event, but when Su Qin objected, Chunshenjun hesitated, and Qu Yuan decided to act secretly by himself.

A thousand new army soldiers secretly drove to the north bank of Yunmengze, and Qu Yuan immediately left Yingdu.He must prepare for the worst, prepare for the second move immediately, and must not stay in Yingdu and let him be dismissed and punished.Halfway there, he received the news that the interception failed. He couldn't help crying, and he looked up to the sky and shouted: "God, God, you protect the evil spirits! How unfair are you?!" In the Anlu camp, the old general Qu Gai had already led more than 20 generals, waiting anxiously in the main tent of the Chinese army.Near noon, Qu Yuan arrived on a flying horse, said a few words to Qu Gai in a low voice, then went to the handsome case and said sadly: "Generals, Qu Yuan is incompetent and did not get rid of Zhang Yi. At present, the state of Qin is staring at it, but the king of Chu is blindly giving in." , Chu State is in dire straits, Qu Yuan dares to ask you: How should I deal with it?"

"Fight against Qin! Shame on our country!" The generals said in unison. "Okay! If the generals have the will to revenge, there will be hope for the Chu State!" Qu Yuan was full of emotion when he took the case, "There is no king's order in this battle, which is unusual. However, Qu Yuan was a royal soldier, and the King of Chu pursued it after the war." , the responsibility for the crime will be borne by Qu Yuan. Victory, everyone has made great contributions! Defeat, everyone is innocent." There was silence in the tent, for a long time, the generals said loudly: "I am willing to share the responsibility with Da Sima!"

"Is there any reason for this?" Qu Yuan smiled: "Everyone remember: With you here, Chu will have a chance to revitalize. They all blame me for their crimes, and there is no one to save me. Qu Yuan can't fight, so he can only do this for you. Don't argue about one thing." The white-haired Qu Gai said: "I've been ready for a long time, and I can leave the camp at any time! Da Sima gave the order!" "Okay! Qu Yuan only decided on two things: General Qu Gai will lead the troops to attack Qin, and Qu Yuan will mobilize food, grass and supplies." After saying that, he cupped his hands: "Old general, you are here to dispatch troops!"

Qu Beggar walked up to the Commander's Case with strides: "The army must be assembled immediately, and the commander-in-chief will give instructions to the whole army! Afterwards, the three armies will be dispatched in order, and we will go to Danyang part-time!" "Follow the general's order!" The generals let out a loud bang, and immediately filed out of the account. In a short while, the mountain barracks resounded with horn horns one after another, sharp and rapid, which made people's hearts tremble.In less than half an hour, the 80,000 new troops formed a purge square in the Dajiao Field, and there was no sound except for hunting the battle flag.Gai Qu, who had already mounted his horse, shouted loudly: "The three armies are in order! Commander-in-Chief!!"

Wearing soft armor and a golden battle robe, Qu Yuan strode up to the general platform: "Soldiers of the three armies: Qin's army is suppressing the border, and Chu has reached a critical moment of life and death! If you don't defeat Qin, Chu can't change its laws, and it can only perish! You will If you become a subjugated slave, your good days will be blown away by the wind like the morning mist in Yunmengze! Your titles, your lands, your homes, your parents, wives and children will all be destroyed by Qin's tigers and wolves. The sharp claws are torn to pieces! Warriors of Chu, for Chu, for reform, for your dreams, for the glory of the new army, use your blood to wash away the national humiliation and defeat Qin's tigers and wolves!"

"Wash the national humiliation—! Exterminate tigers and wolves—!" "Long live the king of Chu!" With the sound of horns and the rattling of horseshoes, the 80,000 troops marched out.Qu Yuan flew on his horse, and with tears in his eyes, sent the army for more than 30 li, before turning back in pain.No one can replace what he has to do, which is to collect food and grass for the army.Raising food and grass is like mobilizing an army, and you must have the king's soldier charm.The military law of the Chu State: soldiers and rations are integrated. If you want to adjust rations, you must first have the right to adjust troops. Without the right to adjust troops, you will not have the right to adjust rations.There is no king's order for the army to go out this time, so mobilizing food and grass has become the biggest problem.There is only enough food in the military camp for ten days, and it has been shipped out first.Together with the food consumed during the journey, the army had only three days left to eat after arriving at the battlefield.If there is no supply of food and grass in the future, the new army's resistance to Qin will become the laughing stock of the world.Among the ministers of the state of Chu, only Qu Yuan was given a special military talisman secretly when the king of Chu clamored for revenge. Unlike the tiger talismans of other countries in the Central Plains, it was a bronze elephant with only inscriptions on it, and the army called it an "elephant talisman".If the king of Chu still remembered this incident and urgently ordered all the granaries to ban the effectiveness of Qu Yuan's elephant talisman, Qu Yuan would be blinded.Right now, Qu Yuan kept praying to heaven: I hope that the king of Chu would be so sad for a while that he would forget about the secret granting of military talismans.

Returning to the big tent left behind, Qu Yuan immediately ordered the military secretary: Take the arrow of the commander-in-chief and go to the Anlu warehouse to mobilize 100,000 shi of military rations and transport them out first!This is a test, if it can be transferred, one hundred thousand shi, grain and rice will be enough to support an 80,000 army for more than a month. Even if the king of Chu abolishes Qu Yuan's elephant talisman, at least there is still room for maneuver.Anlu warehouse is the nearest granary to supply the new army's grain and grass. The warehouse order has been matched with Qu Yuan several times. If An Lu warehouse can't transfer grain and grass, it means that all official warehouses in Chu State will be closed to Qu Yuan. In the early morning of the next day, the officer in charge of military affairs reported in a busy manner: Anlu warehouse can adjust the grain, but there are only 20,000 shi of grain in storage. Besides the warehouse, they can only give 10,000 shi to the new army!When Qu Yuan heard this, he realized that 10,000 shi was only ten days’ worth of military rations. Considering the distance of seven or eight hundred miles for transporting rations, excluding the consumption of escorting soldiers and civilians, there were almost only 70,000 to 80,000 shi left. .This is the reason for the so-called not transporting food for thousands of miles.In the past, Fangling and the big warehouse were in the hands of the state of Chu, which is the closest to Danshui. Although the mountain road is difficult, it can be transported by oxen and people. The warehouse suddenly seemed to be shriveled, either because there was not enough food and grass, or because it was too far away to transport; the Anlu warehouse was suitable, but it was only 10,000 shi!If you don't plan immediately, it is entirely possible that the army will run out of food. "Have the ten thousand stones been transported away?" "It's being shipped, and it will be on the road in the afternoon." "Okay. Prepare the horse! Return to the fief immediately!" "Big Sima, what, how did you do this?" The Military Affairs Sima was in a hurry. "Go! Let's go!" Qu Yuan shouted with a pale face. The Qu family is one of the five great clans of the Chu State, with a fief of 800 miles. It is located at the junction of the Xiang River, the Zi River, and the Miluo River on the south bank of Yunmeng Lake. The land is fertile and suitable for farming. It is one of the famous granary treasures in the Chu State.Among the five great clans, the Qu clan had the most remote fief, but it was the largest, and had the most food and grass.In desperation, Qu Yuan's thoughts turned to himself.However, Qu Yuan did not dare to say that he was sure to transfer Qu's grain and grass.Although he was established as the first son of the Qu family, inherited the title of the Qu family, and became a pillar of the Qu family in the court, he is not yet the patriarch.The granary is the public property of the tribe, and it needs a large amount of free military rations. Even the leader of the tribe, it is difficult to say a word, not to mention that the old people of the first three generations of the Qu clan are still alive, how can you tolerate your words? Then open the public warehouse? After running around all night, Qu Yuan finally arrived at the fiefdom government office at dawn.This is a castle at the intersection of the Xiang River and the Miluo River. It is surrounded by the vast Yunmeng Lake in the north, surrounded by green mountains in the west, and bordered by two big waters in the east. In the south, there are patches of fertile soil in basins and small lakes dotted around. It is really comparable to the Central Plains. A second and third-class vassal state. Qu Yuan didn't return to his hometown for many years, and when he came back in a hurry, the young people outside the castle couldn't recognize who this fast-moving figure was.If he came back on an ordinary day, the passionate and unrestrained Qu Yuan would have dismounted early, chatted and sang with the farmers, fishermen and woodcutters, but today he couldn't take care of it. Qu Yuan hurriedly verified his identity with the city gate leader, and the guard leader was very pleasantly surprised Before he could fly to report and go in, Qu Yuan whipped his horse and left. "Cough! You, you are Qu Yuan? Da Sima?" The white-haired old patriarch squinted his eyes and looked up and down tremblingly. "Qu Yuan sees the senior patriarch." Qu Yuan made an exception and prostrated himself on the ground, making a big salute. The old patriarch quickly stretched out his hand to support him: "Get up soon, Da Sima is my Qu clan's heir, how can I perform such a great gift?" Qu Yuan said loudly: "The family and the country are one, and when Qu Yuan returns to his hometown, he should respect the old patriarch and seniors." "Ah, Da Sima has such a heart. My Qu family is expected to be revitalized. Come and serve me at the banquet." "The old patriarch, Qu Yuan is back, but I have something to ask for." "What's the matter? Let's talk about it soon." Qu Yuan hurriedly explained the whole story and the request for grain adjustment.The old patriarch frowned immediately: "Don't hide it from Da Sima, there is food and grass. But the king of Chu just issued an edict: After the fall of Fangling, the official warehouse will be empty, and the fief grain tax will be increased by 30%..." The old man pondered for a moment, and then Take the long case: "This old man's opinion, first invite the elders of the clan to discuss it before we talk about it. It is not uncommon to slow down the grant and resist the grant. As long as the clan is of one mind, it will be easy to talk about." "Thank you, old patriarch!" The elders of the clan were originally old people over seventy years old in each branch with military merit titles, and most of them were once prominent figures in each branch.According to the rules of the Qu clan: important people in the branch line will move to the clan castle to support their old age when they are unemployed, and at the same time become clan elders who participate in clan affairs discussions.Because they all live in the castle, it is convenient to come.It took less than half an hour for the emissary of the old patriarch to go out, and more than 30 clan elders gathered together. The old patriarch stood up and lighted his bamboo stick dutifully: "Da Sima, we are all from our own family. If you can't break a wrong, you just say it!" Qu Yuan stood up respectfully and bowed deeply to the elders in the hall: "Seniors: The tiger and wolf Qin bullied Chu, and the tiger and wolf prime minister Zhang Yi even deceived and teased Chu many times. After releasing Zhang Yi, he wanted to cede territory to Qin State for peace. Qu Yuan intercepted and killed Zhang Yi angrily, but failed. In order to save Chu State, Qu Yuan sent 80,000 new troops to Danshui in the name of Wang Mingbing Talisman, and fought to the death with Qin State. However, since Fangling was captured by the Qin State, it was difficult to provide food for the army. In desperation, Qu Yuan had no choice but to ask his own family for help..." Suddenly, tears welled up in Qu Yuan's eyes: "For more than four hundred years, I, the Qu family, have never It is the loyal and powerful family of Chu State, and most of the soldiers in the new army have Qu's children. Now, the life and death of Chu State is carried on the shoulders of Qu's tribe! Qu Yuankong has a passion, but he is alone. Supporting the broken state of Chu..." An old man gasped and sighed in the hall.An old man stood up tremblingly: "Grand Sima, is my boy the commander in chief?" Qu Yuan cupped his hands and said, "It's General Qu Beggar. Seniors: there are thirty-two generals in the new army, and twenty-six are from the Qu clan." man." "Da Sima is saying that I, the Qu clan, have raised 80,000 new troops?" An old man stomped on his bamboo stick. "No! You're still carrying the state of Chu!" Another old man stood up. Qu Beggar's old father walked up to Qu Yuan and lighted his bamboo stick dutifully: "Old brothers, what are you talking about? If the Qu clan didn't save the state of Chu, wait for others to save it? The Qu clan shed blood for the state of Chu. There is more Miluo water than this! What else is there to be reluctant to part with? Ah!" "Second brother is right!" "Qu's duty is incumbent!" "The family and the country are one, so let's talk!" The impassioned shouts became one. The old patriarch: "Da Sima, just tell me, how much rations do you want?" "Return to the old patriarch, at least one hundred thousand stone." The old patriarch gritted his teeth: "150,000 shi! Only 50,000 shi are left for emergency use! What do you guys think?" "I agree!" The clan elders said in unison, and the bamboo sticks became one piece.Qu Yuan was agitated, tears welled up in his eyes, he dressed solemnly, and bowed down to the old patriarch and elders.In the afternoon of the same day, the old patriarch of the Qu clan issued a conscript order, and the entire three hundred li fief became busy. The bullock carts of farmers and merchants came from all directions, and the fishermen's boats also flowed down the Miluo River from the Zishui River in Xiangshui. More than 10,000 soldiers gathered in hundreds of large villages quickly formed a team. Guard food army.At night, the loading of cars and ships began, and there was a lot of people, and the lanterns and torches inside and outside the castle were connected into an ocean.Within two days, 150,000 shi of grain and grass were transported out by land and water, even the clan elders were amazed. Qu Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart became heavier.The Qu clan not only donated 150,000 shi of food and grass, but also confiscated all the oxen, carts, horses, fishing boats and the young men of the clan.This means that the Qu clan has devoted all its strength. Once there is a change in the country and the big clans contend, the Qu clan will lose the ability to resist and may be slaughtered by others!All the key lies in whether the battle against Qin can be won?After the victory, Qu Yuan and the Qu clan were the heroes who saved the Chu State. With the prestige of defeating the army, the King of Chu could only carry out the second reform according to his proposal.But what if it fails?Qu Yuan didn't dare to think about it, and he didn't want to think about it.Right now, he has only one wish: to rush to the Danshui battlefield as soon as possible, to fight blood with the soldiers of the new army, and defeat Qin!